Typewriter Sculptor Jeremy Mayer Breathes New Life Into Old Machines

Old, defunct typewriters may not be much use to us in today’s world of word processing, but for California based sculptor and illustrator Jeremy Mayer, they provide the raw material for his art.

Mayer, 40, has been creating detailed sculptures from discarded typewriters for 17 years. After dismantling the machines he re-assembles them into robot-like, anatomically-correct human and animal figures using only their own parts - a process he calls ‘cold assembly’ that avoids any gluing, welding or soldering.

He was presented with his first stray typewriter during his early 20’s while working for various sculptors.

“I had wanted to take one apart since I was very young. I was pleasantly surprised that it was very much like an Erector Set; there were matching parts and plenty of screws and pins to create forms" Mayer told HuffPost.

"The first few pieces I created were very crude, but I loved the idea of making something from an archaic relic and from only one other object.”

“Reactions to my work are mostly positive. A few typewriter collectors bemoan the destruction of the machines. The ones I use are in pretty rough shape, so I feel no guilt about taking them apart.”

“Right now I'm working on a full-scale human figure. Sometime soon I'll be appearing in a film about typewriters by Doug Nichol, which will feature Tom Hanks, David McCullough, Sam Shepard, and a host of other writers, artists, and typewriter enthusiasts. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.”